William maguire



(iiniild www aient (ottica- VVILLIAM MAGUIR, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR 'I HIMSELF AND FRANCIS B. LQNEY, OF SAME PLACE.-

Letters Patent N 92,069, dated .Time 29, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT 1N RAILROAD PLATPORMSCALES 5 The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent: and making part bf the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MAGUIRE, of Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Scales and I dol hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specitication, and to'the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indieating like parts wherever they occur.-

To enable' others skilled in the art to constructand use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention consists in so constructing and arranging the frame or platform of scales, used for weighing cars and similar articles, that while the car-truck or other vehicle is being run on to it, thc platform or track shall rest upon solid or permanent supports, independent of the scales, ahd when ready, have the weight thrown upon the scale, so as to be weighed, as hereinafter more fully explained. y

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, taken on vgreatest upon the knife-edge and other delicate parts of the joint.

To remedy this ditcnlty is the object of my invention; and to do this, I construct the frame of my improved scale in two parts, an upper part, A, and a lower part, B, the two being united by guide-pins l, or any suitable device, by which they shall be kept in the same 'vertical plane, so that whenever the upper part, A, is removed from-its permanent supports, it shall rest upon the lower part,'B, and be supported thereby, the lower part B being connected to the scale proper'.

The 'part A consists simply of a frame of the required size, upon which is placed the rails C, if for railway uses, or a platform, it' for other purposes.

Directly under the frame A is a similar frame, consisting of the side pieces B, connected by cross-bars C, under which latter, at the proper point-s, are secured bent iron bars H, as represented in iig.1, these bars H being connected to the levers of the scale by chains or rods n, as shown in tig. 2.

A 'series of permanent supports, E, are arranged in such a position, that whenever the upper frame A is lowered, the cross-bars l), or other parts ofthe frame A, shall rest firmly thereon, and so remain until the operator chooses to remove it therefrom, as, of course,

must be done when the load is tobe weighed, after having been properly placed on the track or platform.

In 'order to change the weight from the permanent supports E, and throw it upon the scale, I arrange along the sides of the frame B, on each side, a pair of sliding bars, F, as represented in fig. 1, each of these bars F having two or more sets of cam-shaped or inclined notches, m, formed -in their upper and lower` faces, as shown in the drawing.

To each of the frames, A and B, I then pivot strong metallic plates, I, 4the free ends of which rest in the notches m of hais F, and are made of a. form corresponding thereto, thc form and position 'of these parts being such, that when the bars F are'le; flee to move in the direction of the-arrows marked thereon, the plates I will have their free ends moved also, as indicated in dotted lines in iig. 1, and thereby let the npl* per frame A down, so it will rest on the supports E.

lVhen it is desired to change from'these supports E, and throw the weight upon the scale, it is only necessary to shove theI bars F asunder.

'Ihis movement of the bars F will carry with them the free ends ofthe plates I, which, acting like the arms of a toggle or elbow-joint, are brced into a straight line, thereby raising the frame A, with its load, off from the supports E, and leaving it resting,

through the medium of the plates I and rods F, .on

the lower frame B, which is connected to the scale..

These ,bars Vmay be moved by any suitable means; but I prefer the plan represented in the drawings', as being simple and eiiicient. .l l t This consists of -a rook-shatt, O, extending tmnsversely through or across thel lower frame, between the bars F, as shown in fig. 1.

This shaft has, at each sideof the frame, arms e,

the ends of which engage in the notched ends of rods or plates G, the opposite ends of which are pivoted, as represented at a, to the bars F. a

By turning the shaft O in one direction, the arms e will be thrown into the position indicated by the d ot ted line, tig. 1, thereby throwing the pivoted bars G out of line, as. also indicated by dotted lines, and thus .permitting the bars E to move toward each other, and letting the. track or platform down on the supports E. By turning the shaft O in the opposite direction,

'the arms e, with the rods G, will be brought vinto a.

for thepnrpose of holding the lever in position when it is thrown over, as shown in fig. 1, and thus counteract the tendency of the weight above to throw it buck, by turningthe shaft '0, and letting the track or platform down when not desired.

These devices maybe supplanted by others, a's is obvious; but I prefer these, as being very simple and eicient. l

It will be observed that thezparts F, I, and G, are all arranged to operate on the plan of the elbow joint, thusexerting great force, with but a small movement, md with the least possible amount of friction.

By this improvement in the construction of scales, they are rendered far more durable, and much less likely to get out of order.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim, is-

1. Constructing the frame of railway and similar scales, in two parts, th lower part being supported by' the weighing-devices or mechanism, and the upper part supporting the platform or track, and so arranged as to rest on independent supports while the load is being:r run on or oli', and so connected to the lower part, that the weight can be transferred from the independent supports to the lower partof the frame, and thereby to the weighing-meclmnism, substantially as described.

2. The frames A and B, united by the bars F and plates 1, arranged to operate as described, for the purpose set forth.

3. rlhe combination of the rockshaft O, bars G and F, and plates or bars I, when arranged to operate. in connect-ion 'with the. frames A and B, substantiallyy as set forth.

lVM. MAGUIRE. Witnesses:

H. B. MUNN, l. l. MAsT. 

